WEBVTT - #205 Dating Apps, Our Purpose, & Stuck in the Past 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:05.760 Dating apps. I listen. I did a whole segment on 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.600 After Midnight, my radio show about this, and I don't 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:23.120 think that they are healthy. What's up, guys, Welcome back 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:26.120 to the podcast, episode two oh five. Have Amber with 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:26.840 me today. 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:28.440 I'm glad to be back. 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:31.600 You're with me in so many other things, but not 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:34.040 the podcast. And so long you haven't been on here. 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:35.159 No, it's been a long time. 0:00:35.200 --> 0:00:37.800 Do you remember when you were No, do you know? 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:42.320 I could look through these files, but has it been 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:43.440 a year? Probably? 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:46.159 Probably it was in the I think it was in 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:47.440 the hundreds. O. 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:54.080 Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Well, our lives have been crazy, 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:59.160 and we are doing Actually i'm hearing that we're going 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:04.160 to do maybe some speaking together as we travel. That's 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:04.920 what Tyler said. 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:07.240 Yeah, I can't wait. I think that's going to be exciting. 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:12.160 Yeah. Yeah, because right now, you've been traveling different places 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:13.680 and I've been traveling different places. 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.759 We've done a couple things together before, but now we've 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:19.920 kind of ventured off on our own spaces, and I 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:21.119 think we're going to come back together. 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:25.119 Yeah. We travel to Dallas next week together. We're going 0:01:25.160 --> 0:01:27.199 to New York together. Then a week after that. Yep, 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.640 then I go to La by myself the week after that. Yeah, 0:01:30.640 --> 0:01:32.920 a lot of travel. It's just as much as when 0:01:32.959 --> 0:01:36.480 we were with music touring. But here on this podcast, 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.280 we don't travel. We just well, actually may take the 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:42.280 podcast to you one day, but right now we answer 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:45.640 your questions. Email me Grangersmith podcast at gmail dot com, 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:48.960 and we'll walk through them just like we're friends. We 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:51.240 have amber and I don't have any notes or we're 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:54.080 not prepared. In fact, I don't know at all what's 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:56.520 coming at me, so we'll just read these as we go. 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:59.960 Once again, Grangersmith podcast at gmail dot com. First quest 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:04.720 since says subject line dating apps. Hey, mister Smith, vague question. 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:09.080 I was just wondering what is your opinion on dating apps, 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:19.560 specifically Christian dating apps. And I've talked about this quite 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:23.000 a bit and then I've gotten pushedback on it, for sure, 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:30.040 but dating apps listen. I did a whole segment on 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:32.880 After Midnight, my radio show about this, and I don't 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:37.480 think that they are healthy. But I'm also not denying 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:40.400 that a lot of people have met on traditional dating apps. 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:43.560 And there will be people that would comment on this 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:46.960 and say I met my husband on a dating app. 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:49.800 And we've been married for seventeen years, and hey, I 0:02:49.840 --> 0:02:54.080 get it, and that's amazing. I think the problem is 0:02:54.120 --> 0:02:59.560 when it becomes the only option of choice, when you 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:00.840 do have another choice. 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:03.480 Yeah, I can see that. I can see that. 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:07.080 I don't have any experience with dating apps because obviously 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:10.560 I guess they were around, but we just never were 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:13.600 part of any dating apps. So I think it's like 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.079 you said, I think when you have other options where 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.680 you could go out and meet somebody with your friends, 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.400 or somebody could recommend somebody, or meet them through your family, 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:24.800 or meet them through your church, or I think a 0:03:24.840 --> 0:03:29.480 lot of people just don't put on a true vision 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:31.919 of who they are on those dating apps. Sure, you're 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:33.720 always trying to talk yourself up. You're always trying to 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:37.160 make yourself look better, and I think they show maybe 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.480 the best version of themselves, and a lot of times 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:43.680 they lie or they withhold things, and I think that's 0:03:43.680 --> 0:03:44.880 where you can get into trouble too. 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.200 Get catfished. Listen to this On After Midnight. I told 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:52.000 a story about Tender, the swipe right app that is 0:03:52.000 --> 0:03:57.240 now using artificial intelligence to pick your profile picture for you. 0:03:57.240 --> 0:03:59.720 You give it a bunch of pictures, It picks the profile, 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:04.080 pick sure edits, it crops, it chooses it out of 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:06.800 a bunch of them, and then writes your bio for 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.520 you and everything. So when you're swiping right on somebody, 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:14.840 you're literally looking at a computer generated picture of what 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:16.719 that person is represented to be. 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:18.800 And that's what the world is coming to with all 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.200 the chat, GPT and all that stuff. But I think 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:23.360 you're going to find out pretty quickly when you actually 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:25.000 get in a room with somebody or you sit down 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:28.520 to have a conversation that they're not who they claim 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:29.840 to be and. 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:30.360 You can tell that. 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:33.840 So what do you say to the critic of this 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:38.200 podcast that there would there would be someone that actually 0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:42.120 there was a TikTok that went viral of me talking 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:46.360 about this from this podcast, and then there was the 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:50.560 thing that it went viral. Also was a couple, specifically girls. 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:51.960 I don't think it was ever a guy that did it, 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:56.760 but specifically girls that we're saying because here's the deal, 0:04:56.880 --> 0:05:00.279 I said, instead of a dating app, I would for 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.839 recommendation of a friend or a family member or someone 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:07.680 at work that says, hey, there's a girl or there's 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:09.159 a guy that I know that I would like to 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:10.920 set you up on a date, and that This person 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.520 just went off on me saying, I don't have any friends, 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:18.000 no one works with me that's compatible, and my family 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:20.040 doesn't know anybody, or I'm a strange from my family 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:22.240 and I don't trust my family. And so she was 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:26.240 like doing a duet on TikTok, you know where it's 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:29.280 like split screen, and she was watching me talk and 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.839 she was like throwing up her hands saying, I don't 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:32.679 have any of that stuff. 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:33.400 What about church? 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:37.440 Well, I don't think I mentioned that, but she probably 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:39.560 didn't go to church, but she was getting all angry 0:05:39.600 --> 0:05:42.960 that saying. She was saying, dating apps is my only move, 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:46.080 That's all I have, So don't you take that away 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:46.359 from me? 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:49.320 Well, and there are exceptions to every rule. I mean, 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:51.440 there are people that have probably been married or will 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:53.960 be married twenty thirty years from a dating app forty 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:58.320 years whatever, And there are exceptions. I think that can happen. 0:05:58.400 --> 0:06:01.680 It's just probably not the norm. I think people use 0:06:01.720 --> 0:06:04.800 it to hook up most of the time, and they 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:09.120 I think with a dating app, you're looking basically at 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.560 just what you want to see. You're looking at the 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:15.719 outward appearance. You're looking at what looks good on paper 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:19.320 and you're not truly seeing the person that they are. 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:22.120 And I would I would almost say like it would 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:23.799 be better to do like one of those speed dating 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:26.080 things where you're actually in a room and you just 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:28.080 jump from table to table, because you actually have a 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.680 conversation with each person and get to know them and 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:33.039 get to see them, rather than just like swiping through 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:34.880 and going, oh, she's cute. 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:35.160 He's not. 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:38.560 It's like it's just so surface level to me. But also, 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.120 I didn't grow up in that generation of that's kind 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:42.840 of what it is now. That's all people do now 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:45.080 is basically date through dating apps. 0:06:45.800 --> 0:06:49.760 So yeah, and I hear the people that say, listen, 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:52.800 I work all day long, I get off work and 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:55.359 I come home and I don't I don't have a 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:58.000 bar or a restaurant or a movie theater that I 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:01.000 can go. I don't have any friends. My best option 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:03.240 at finding someone is going to a dating app. And 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:05.960 then a lot of people say it's worked for me. Yeah, 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.640 it's worked for me, and we're happily married, So I 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:12.440 totally get it. So there's specifically in this question, this 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:16.440 is Zachary saying this Christian dating apps? Does that help 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:19.520 or is that still opening up for catfishing? 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:21.960 Yeah, but we're all, we're all, we're still sinners and 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:24.680 we're still fleshly. So even a Christian dating app is 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:26.880 not going to be the perfect app. You know, there 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:29.800 are the ones that they're kind of quoted, the sleazy 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:31.440 ones like the Tender, And then you think you're going 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:33.920 to go to a Christian app, but it could just 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:35.720 be a person a guy pretending a guy or girl 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:36.760 pretending to be a Christian. 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:38.000 You know, you don't. 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:40.040 You don't truly know that they're Christian until you see 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:42.320 the fruits of their life, until you see them actually 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:43.080 walking with the Lord. 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:43.480 You can't. 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.440 I can write all day that I'm a Christian on 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:47.800 an app, but you're not going to know that that's 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.280 true unless you hang out with me. 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:50.800 So what are you going to say yes or no 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:55.080 to dating apps? To this question? Read the question again, Hey, 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:57.680 mister Smith, vague question. Just wondering what is your opinion 0:07:57.720 --> 0:07:59.880 on dating apps, specifically Christian dating apps. 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:02.840 I think you need to be careful. I think I 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:05.080 think you need to guard your heart. I wouldn't say 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:07.720 don't do it. I wouldn't you know, because there you 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:09.520 could meet the level of your life. On a dating app, 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:11.600 I would say, be careful, guard your heart. 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:15.240 And just go in with caution and get in person 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:19.400 as soon as possible. Try to set something up in 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:23.400 person way quicker than you would be comfortable with, because 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:25.240 you don't want to sit there and chat too long 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.880 online because you could be completely wasting your time. The 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:31.000 other thing I would say, too, just in general for people, 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:34.680 is this is going to come as a shock probably, 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:37.439 but you know, you might need to lower your standards 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:41.560 a little bit on what you think you deserve and 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:46.000 work more on who you would want to be for 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:49.079 someone that would who is the person that would want 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:52.040 to date you? And then I just still didn't say that, right, 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:55.920 be the person that you would want someone to be 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.960 attracted to, Yeah, Right, so that you will attract that 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:02.240 kind of person if you consistently try to become the 0:09:02.320 --> 0:09:07.400 person that you want to attract. Yeah, And if we 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:11.440 work on that and stop stop thinking that we have 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:15.040 to have this the ultimate standard at day one. Because 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.600 the ultimate standard and someone that's that's very compatible. I'll 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.760 never say the word soulmate, but someone that's very compatible. 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.680 You might not know that from a profile picture, or 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:29.000 from a bio, or from a chat, or even from 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:32.840 one coffee. But seven, eight, nine years down the road, 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:36.800 you might say this person is so compatible. I'm so 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:38.760 in love with this person. And I would have missed 0:09:38.800 --> 0:09:42.240 it at day one because I had some supermodel standard 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:46.120 or some Harvard grad standard, or somebody that has this 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:48.960 kind of job or that maybe doesn't have a kid, 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:50.800 and I found this guy who does have a kid, 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:55.199 And you start eliminating what could be someone very compatible 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:55.480 to you. 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:58.160 Yeah, it's good advice. I agree. You can just swipe 0:09:58.240 --> 0:09:59.400 right past them exactly. 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:00.000 Yeah. 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:02.240 All right, let's that was a long time in that question. 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:05.040 Let's go to the next one. Here says, are there 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:08.880 difficult things in my life that have no purpose other 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:13.800 than bringing glory to God? That's the subject. That's the subject. 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:17.800 One says, Hey Granger, thanks for being Thanks so much 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:20.520 for this podcast. I love listening to you. It's continually 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:25.400 encouraged me. Here's my question. Bible verses like Romans eleven 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:28.839 thirty six and Isaiah forty three seven talk about how 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:33.800 our purpose as humans is to bring God glory and 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:36.880 this is why he created us. Romans eight twenty eight 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.959 also talks about how God works out everything for good 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:43.840 in the lives of believers. In light of this, well, 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:46.560 everything I experience in my life, even the hard things, 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:50.320 ultimately lead up to something I like and feel good about, 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:53.920 or just that they will lead up to something that 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:57.680 brings God glory. In other words, do any of the 0:10:57.720 --> 0:11:00.720 difficult things that happen in my life have no other 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.120 person purpose than to bring God glory? Or am I 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:07.080 guaranteed to feel happy about them all someday and feel 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:10.320 like experiencing them was worth it in the end. I 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:11.719 don't know if any of this makes sense by the 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:14.400 way it does, but that's something that I've been wondering 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:17.200 about for a long time, and nobody I talk to 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:20.040 seems to have an answer. I do. Thanks again for 0:11:20.080 --> 0:11:21.439 all the things you do to bring us the word 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:23.000 of God in a humblin on his way. Thanks for 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:25.199 your amazing testimony. I praise God for all He's done 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:30.360 in your life. Sincerely, Naomi. It's a great question. Yeah, 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:33.440 I love the question, and it's a legitimate question, and 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:37.000 so let me I read it pretty roughly, So let 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:40.559 me just kind of say what Naomi's saying. She's saying 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:44.960 that as she reads the Bible. She's seeing that correctly. 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.199 She's seeing correctly that our purpose, the reason we were 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:52.160 created and our purpose here on earth is to bring 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:55.960 God glory and all that we do to glorify Him. 0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:01.160 And so she's saying, cool, good, thank you God, thanks 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.840 for that. Where do I fit in this picture? Like, 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:09.160 I'm happy that I'm created for a purpose and that 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:14.440 purpose is to give you glory. Mister narcissist, right, But 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.080 do I get anything out of this? I get it? Okay. 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:22.120 First of all, God is not a narcissist. That's not 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:27.160 what you said. But this is what we start to 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:31.000 figure out as we continue to read through the entire 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:35.360 whole canon of the Scripture. And that's why, and I'm 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:37.880 by no means accusing you of this at all, but 0:12:38.040 --> 0:12:42.199 as we read cover to cover of our Bibles, Genesis 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.600 all the way to Revelation, and continue to read through 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:49.520 it year by year, and the purpose of that, and 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:51.920 I've said on this podcast before, is to learn who 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:56.439 God is. That's that's first and foremost. Who is God? 0:12:57.240 --> 0:13:01.080 And we find him, as revealed in the Scripture. When 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:04.000 we begin to find him, we begin to know him. 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:07.280 When we begin to know him, we and can anticipate 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:11.160 what he likes and dislikes, hates and loves throughout the 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:13.760 course of our own lives as we apply it to ourselves. 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:16.280 What am I talking about. I'm talking about in the 0:13:16.800 --> 0:13:21.640 case of my dad, who's been passed away since twenty fourteen. 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:25.360 Still I knew my Dad so well from living with 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:30.000 him and listening to him and watching him and observing 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:32.440 him that I know to this day. If I go 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.080 to a restaurant, when I open up a menu, I 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:37.360 know what Dad would like, and then I know what 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:40.640 Dad would not like. When I'm talking to someone and 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:44.040 they have an opinion about something, I know if Dad 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:46.920 would agree with that opinion or disagree with that opinion, 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:51.440 and that goes on and on and on in the 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:54.240 same way. That's really what our purposes in reading the 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:57.839 Bible is to learn our heavenly Father in the same way, 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:02.080 so that we don't need specific thick answers to specific 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:05.680 things in life. Instead, just like I don't need a 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:08.240 specific answer to what Dad would say about a certain 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.600 person in a certain situation in their life, I go, 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:13.679 I know, in a general sense, in a broad sense, 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:16.280 exactly how Dad would feel like it feel about with 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:20.480 anything in this region. And that's how we learn God, 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:23.040 and we could walk through life with confidence the more 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.800 we read the Bible, of knowing what God would be 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:29.600 pleased about or displeased about our need or want from us. Okay, 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:34.480 So to your question about bringing God glory, what we 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:36.920 do know as we begin to know Him and as 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:40.360 we begin to read the Bible, is that bringing God glory, 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:44.440 which is our purpose, is not at odds with our 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.600 happiness or our joy. In fact, I said this in 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:51.800 the sermon recently. In fact, it is the source of it. 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:56.040 When we bring God glory, which is why we're created. 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:59.400 When we do that, we find that the source of 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:03.640 that glory that we bring him, whether it's the way 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:07.280 we act or walk, or say, or worship or enjoy 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.720 sunrise and sunset and the beautiful stars and the moon 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:13.920 and the trees and the rain, and when we see 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:18.320 this and little babies and little puppies and the grand canyon. 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:20.840 When we bring him glory and see his glory and 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:23.520 absorb his glory and feel his glory, that becomes the 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:27.840 source of our joy and our happiness. And the more 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:30.000 we do it, the more we worship, and the closer 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:33.720 we get to that purpose of glorifying Him. The more 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:37.400 we feel it, and the more we need less of 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:40.000 this earth, and the less of all the things that 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:46.680 are false joys, fake joys, counterfeit joys. You know, you 0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:48.920 get so many things in this life for a counterfeit joy. 0:15:48.920 --> 0:15:53.400 It's a counterfeit happiness. It fades, it's gone. Texas Aggies. 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:56.720 You know, I'm excited about watching them play this weekend, 0:15:57.800 --> 0:15:59.840 and if they win, I'll be happy. But it's a 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:04.000 it's a counterfeit joy because it goes away in an instant. 0:16:04.040 --> 0:16:07.320 When they lose the next week, right, and they could 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:10.960 win the national championship, it's gone the next year. Its counterfeit. 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:13.800 But when we glorify God, when we worship him like 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:17.480 we would worship Aggie football, we worship God in that way. 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:21.440 He never lets us down. In that way, it never 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:25.240 comes back as counterfeit. It just grows and stacks joy 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:28.200 upon joy upon joy. But been using this parable so 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.640 much lately, the Matthew thirteen forty four parable of the 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:35.400 hidden treasure when it says the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus talking, 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:38.440 the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure in a field 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:42.200 which a man found and covered up. Then in his 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:46.360 joy he goes and sells all that he owns to 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:50.560 buy that field. There is that keyword right there. Joy. 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:55.480 He finds this treasure, and in his joy he gives 0:16:55.560 --> 0:17:00.760 up the pleasures, the counterfeit pleasures, the counterfeit joys, and 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:05.840 goes all in on God. That is what we get 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:11.360 when we glorify him. Your glorifying God is not at 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:12.400 odds with your. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:17.760 Joy, Yeah, she asked, She asked, in there is all 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:22.560 of this going to ultimately lead to my happiness? She said, 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:28.119 something along those lines. And no, not necessarily here on 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:28.600 this earth. 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:29.320 It's not. 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:32.879 Your suffering might not lead to happiness here on earth. 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:36.600 You might not see a certain situation or a certain 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:39.560 thing redeemed this side of heaven. But I can promise 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:43.120 you it will be worth it on the other side 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:45.000 and we see Christ face to face. 0:17:45.119 --> 0:17:46.520 But you will have peace here through it. 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:49.240 You can't have peace through Yeah with Jesus, Yes, that 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:51.959 is promise. You can have peace and joy in the 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:58.080 midst of your deepest pain. Now, could something necessarily be 0:17:58.200 --> 0:18:01.920 redeemed this side of heaven? The Lord will do it, it 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:04.320 says in First Peter five ten. After you have suffered 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:08.960 at a little while I myself will will strengthen, redeem, reestablish, 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:13.040 and I think and strengthen you as the verse. But 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:16.200 a lot of times people will still suffer until they 0:18:16.200 --> 0:18:20.000 go home. But on the other side, yes, it will 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:23.320 be worth it. Everything that you've faced, every horrible every 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:26.560 horrible thing that you went through, every trauma, every little 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:30.280 amount of suffering is preparing for you an eternal weight 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.600 of glory beyond all comparison. And it will so be 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:35.679 worth it. And this life is a vapor and I 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:39.480 can't promise you happiness. Like Granger said, this side of heaven, 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:42.200 you can have joy, but joys a person, and it's Jesus. 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:47.080 But you might not be eternally happy and joyful until 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:48.560 we get to the other side, until we get home 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:48.960 to heaven. 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:52.159 Read the Book of John. There's so much gold in 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:56.080 there with Jesus talking, especially in chapter sixteen when he 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.120 ends up saying ends the chapter by saying, I tell 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:02.679 you these things so that you will have peace in 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:07.480 this world. You'll have trouble, tribulation, persecution, suffering, you'll have it. 0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:11.639 But take heart, I've overcome the world. That's where the 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:13.920 peace comes from. So you go yeah, I'm having suffering. 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:17.879 I'm having problems, but oh man, but he's got the 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:21.359 whole world in his hands. So through that there's the rest. 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:25.440 There's the peace, there's the joy, there's the hope. And 0:19:26.040 --> 0:19:31.199 with those things equipped in you peace, hope, rest, love, joy. 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:34.720 When you have those, you have the strength to overcome 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:37.080 through the suffering, because you're going to suffer whether or 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:39.080 not you have those things or not as a human, 0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:41.320 whether or not you have Jesus or not, you're going 0:19:41.359 --> 0:19:44.679 to suffer. That's just part of being a human. But 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:50.040 you could be equipped with those those powerful things, those 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:54.280 fruits of the spirit, with your faith in Jesus. Let's 0:19:54.359 --> 0:20:00.359 hit one more and let's take a break. Let me 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:04.840 making these questions. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if someone tuned 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:06.479 in to figure out how to get a girlfriend or not. 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:13.080 Here's another subject, says, is there a right religion? Hey, Granger, 0:20:13.119 --> 0:20:15.560 I have been raised Catholic, but now that I'm in my 0:20:15.600 --> 0:20:19.000 thirties and I have a family in my own I 0:20:19.040 --> 0:20:21.159 have seemed to stray away from the Catholic faith. I 0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:23.760 have not lost my faith in God, but just how 0:20:23.800 --> 0:20:26.320 I practice my religion, I feel that I'm drawn closer 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:28.520 to God and feel better as a human being listening 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:32.840 to sermons from either non denominational pastors, Baptist pastors, and 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:35.560 even your sermons that you have been doing, which by 0:20:35.600 --> 0:20:39.240 the way, are Baptist. My question is is there a 0:20:39.440 --> 0:20:42.800 right religion? Am I turning my back on God if 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:46.240 I think about converting to another religion? Thank you for 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:48.359 your music over the years. My family and I enjoy 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:51.320 your concerts and I absolutely looking forward to what the 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:55.280 future holds for you. Mark. All right, So Mark this 0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:57.879 this is one of the problems with just reading an 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:01.080 email and not being enough on the podcast, because we 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:03.520 would want to dig in a little bit and say, well, 0:21:03.560 --> 0:21:08.320 what are you defining as religion? Because so far everything 0:21:08.359 --> 0:21:15.040 that you've listed here is denomination denomination based on trusting Christ, 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:17.360 Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. So if you're 0:21:17.359 --> 0:21:23.640 talking about religion as far as Buddhism or Hinduism or Islam, 0:21:23.920 --> 0:21:29.200 we're talking about fundamentally different kinds of religion. If you're 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:33.760 just talking about denominations, Man, I've been doing this deep, 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:36.159 deep dive on C. S. Lewis as you know, like 0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:39.560 a I've got like literally twenty books right now, that 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:43.359 I'm having to go through with C. S. Lewis based 0:21:43.440 --> 0:21:47.760